This invention relates to a method of controlling a multi-conference unit or other endpoint device in a communications network. The invention is applicable to use within video conference calls.
In recent years it has become more common for people to contact each other using video calling where each participant in the call can see the other participant. This is useful as it allows users to gauge the responses and reactions of users according to their body language and not just their voice.
When more than one user takes part in a video call it is known as a video conference call. The data streams from each user may be transmitted directly between each participant in the conference call or, more commonly, are directed through a Video Multi-conference Unit (MCU) to which the participants in a video conference connect. The data streams from the participants are sent to the MCU and the participants each receive one stream comprising data encoding a composed or voice-switched image of the other participants in the conference call.
Whilst using an MCU reduces the amount of data transmitted across the network during a conference call it also means that there is a separate entity, remote from any of the end point devices the participants of the conference are using, that needs to be configured so that it can control each conference call routed through it according to the call's specific requirements.
Traditionally, the MCU is controlled by establishing a separate control channel between it and a control device. Control commands are sent across the control channel to the MCU. The commands sent to control the MCU are usually sent from a “command-line” text based interface. Commanding the MCU in this manner requires MCU configuration expertise and programming skills on behalf of at least one of the participants. Hence, it is often difficult or expensive to find someone who is able to configure the MCU effectively for each conference call that is to be made using it.
Furthermore, advanced MCUs need further control as the MCU enables each user to choose which other participants are displayed and heard by that user. This choice may be varied at any time during the conference. For each user to get the optimal result from an advanced MCU each user would have to be able to control the MCU using a “command-line” text based interface.
In recent years web-based interfaces for configuring the MCU have been developed. These whilst being easier to control than basic command-line interfaces for the average user, still require the user who is to configure the MCU to have to have some expertise in order to configure the MCU in the optimal manner for each video conference call made using it.
Finally, whether using a “command-line” text based interface or a web-based interface control of the MCU requires the additional equipment of the control device and an additional communications link for conveying command messages from the control device to the MCU. The use of a web-based interface also adds extra complexity to the system. These requirements increase the cost of providing the conferencing service.
In order to try to overcome these problems the ITU-T standard H.245 specifies conference control messages. However, these messages only cover a limited range of actions and most video endpoints cannot generate H.245 conference control messages.